Home |  Catalog | Subscribe to Recommended Lists

Find a good read:  Adult |  Teens  | Kids

Biographies
Biographies for teens.

Persepolis : The Story of a Childhood
by Marjane Satrapi

The great-granddaughter of Iran's last emperor and the daughter of ardent Marxists describes growing up in Tehran in a country plagued by political upheaval and vast contradictions between public and private life.
Votes for women! : American suffragists and the battle for the ballot
by Winifred Conkling

The story of the 19th Amendment and the nearly 80-year fight for voting rights for women discusses the politics and private challenges that inspired the achievements of such activists as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Sojourner Truth. 
Courage to soar : a body in motion, a life in balance
by Simone Biles

The gymnast relates how her faith and family saw her through several challenges, beginning from her childhood in foster care, and shares the professional journey that led to her earning a spot on the 2016 Olympic team.
Dissenter on the bench : Ruth Bader Ginsburg's life & work
by Victoria Ortiz

Presents the life and career of the fiercely principled Supreme Court Justice, who is now a popular icon, and includes dramatic accounts of her landmark cases that moved the needle on the legal protection of human rights.
The duel : the parallel lives of Alexander Hamilton & Aaron Burr
by Judith St. George

Examines the events that led up to the deadly duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr by reviewing both their lives and the similarities that they shared, including serving as staff officers under George Washington.
Outcasts united : the story of a refugee soccer team that changed a town
by Warren St. John

Shares the inspirational story of a youth soccer team comprised of refugees from around the world who, under the guidance of a formidable female coach, helped to transform their Georgia community.
Americanized : rebel without a green card
by Sara Saedi

The author describes how, in San Jose, California, in the 1990s, her life as an Iranian American teen was upended by her discovery that she and her family entered as undocumented immigrants.
The family Romanov : murder, rebellion & the fall of Imperial Russia
by Candace Fleming

The award-winning author of The Lincolns traces the story of the Russian Revolution, the lives of the Romanov family and the story of their tragic deaths, in an account that draws on primary source materials and includes period photography.
The zookeeper's wife : A War Story
by Diane Ackerman

Documents the heroic true story of Warsaw Zoo keepers and resistance activists Jan and Antonina Zabinski, who in the aftermath of Germany's invasion of Poland saved the lives of hundreds of Jewish citizens by smuggling them into empty cages and their home villa. 70,000 first printing.
I will always write back : how one letter changed two lives
by Caitlin Alifirenka

Traces the friendship between an American girl and her pen pal from an impoverished region of Zimbabwe, describing how 12-year-old Caitlin wrote to an unknown student for a class assignment and shared a life-changing six-year correspondence.
The boys who challenged Hitler : Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club
by Phillip M. Hoose

Presents the story of a group of Danish boys who formed a resistance organization against the Nazi occupation of their country.
Hey, kiddo
by Jarrett Krosoczka

Shares the author's upbringing in a family grappling with addiction and how he used art to survive. 
Funny, you don't look autistic : a comedian's guide to life on the spectrum
by Michael McCreary

The author describes what it is like to live with autism and how it has affected the way people view him and his comedy.
The boys in the boat : the true story of an American team's epic journey to win gold at the 1936 Olympics
by Daniel Brown

Complemented by black-and-white photographs, a middle-grade adaptation of the best-selling The Boys in the Boat describes the American rowing team's triumphant and unlikely win during the 1936 Olympics. Simultaneous eBook. 100,000 first printing.
I know why the caged bird sings
by Maya Angelou

A distinguished African-American poet recalls the anguish of her Arkansas childhood and her adolescence in northern slums.
Steve Jobs : the man who thought different : a biography
by Karen Blumenthal

Traces the inspiring life and career of the late founder of Apple, covering topics ranging from his struggles as an adopted child and a college dropout to his Buddhist faith and friendship with Steve Wozniack, in a portrait framed around his inspirational Stanford University commencement speech. Simultaneous.
Houdini : master of illusion
by Clinton Cox

A biography of the world's greatest escape artist exposes the secrets behind many of Houdini's tricks and also shows that it was his brilliancy, his physical dexterity, and his wild imagination that made him a true master of illusion.
Hershey : Milton S. Hershey's extraordinary life of wealth, empire, and utopian dreams
by Michael D'Antonio

A scholarly analysis of the life and achievements of the head of the chocolate factory empire describes his fatherless upbringing by a strict Mennonite mother, his failures with two early candy companies, and his construction of the utopian Hershey village. By the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The State Boys Rebellion. 50,000 first printing.
The diary of a young girl
by Anne Frank

The autobiographical reminiscences of a young Jewish girl coming of age during World War II describes her life in hiding from the Nazis and offers a poignant study of the tragedy of the Holocaust. 
Charles and Emma : the Darwins' leap of faith
by Deborah Heiligman

An engaging exploration of history, science and religion provides a thought-provoking account of Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory, examining how his personal life affected his work and vice versa because of his wife's strong religious beliefs. National Book Award Finalist, Michael L. Printz Award, New York Times Book Review Notable Book, YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction. Reprint.
Being Jazz : my life as a (transgender teen)
by Jazz Jennings

The author reccounts how her public experiences have influenced her attitude towards the transgender community, as she works to educate others about transgenderism while navigating the challenges of being a teenager
I am a SEAL Team Six warrior : memoirs of an American soldier
by Howard E. Wasdin

Recounts the story of how the author overcame a tough and abusive childhood to fulfill his dream of joining the exciting and dangerous world of the Navy SEALs by becoming a Special Forces sniper. By the authors of SEAL Team Six. Original.
Born on a blue day : inside the extraordinary mind of an autistic savant : a memoir
by Daniel Tammet

Traces the inspiring story of an autistic savant with genius-level mathematical talents, describing how he was eschewed by his classmates in spite of his near-photographic memory and super-human capacity for math and language, in a firsthand account that offers insight into how he experiences the world. 75,000 first printing.
Left for dead : a young man's search for justice for the USS Indianapolis
by Peter Nelson

Having heard the story of this great warship and tragic terrible end, a young boy decides to look into the matter and find out why the ship's captain received a court martial as punishment for something he did not do, despite the Navy's knowledge of this. Reprint.
Vincent and Theo : the Van Gogh brothers
by Deborah Heiligman

A meticulously researched account of the relationship between brothers Theo and Vincent van Gogh draws on hundreds of letters written by the master artist that illuminate how Theo supported Vincent throughout the latter's creative and interpersonal struggles. B.
We should hang out sometime : embarrassingly, a true story
by Josh Sundquist

The Paralympic ski racer, YouTube star and motivational speaker documents his coming of age as an amputee cancer survivor and his efforts to investigate past dates gone wrong to discover why he was still single. 
Feynman
by Jim Ottaviani

"In this substantial graphic novel biography, First Second presents the larger-than-life exploits of Nobel-winning quantum physicist, adventurer, musician, world-class raconteur, and one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century: Richard Feynman. Written by nonfiction comics mainstay Jim Ottaviani and brilliantly illustrated by First Second author Leland Myrick, Feynman tells the story of the great man's life from his childhood in Long Island to his work on the Manhattan Project and the Challenger disaster. Ottaviani tackles the bad with the good, leaving the reader delighted by Feynman's exuberant life and staggered at the loss humanity suffered with his death" -- from publisher's web site
Chinese Cinderella : the true story of an unwanted daughter
by Adeline Yen Mah

The daughter of a wealthy Hong Kong businessman describes her very difficult childhood and the psychological abuse she suffered at the hands of her stepmother
Into the wild
by Jon Krakauer

A portrait of Chris McCandless chronicles his decision to withdraw from society and adopt the persona of Alexander Supertramp, offering insight into his beliefs about the wilderness and his tragic death in the Alaskan wilderness. Reprint. Tour.
I will plant you a lilac tree : a memoir of a Schindler's list survivor
by Laura Hillman

Provides the true story of a young girl who volunteered to go to the Polish ghetto to be with the remaining members of her family, was sent to a series of concentration camps, met and fell in love with a young man in a camp, survived all the horrors of war after being placed on Schindler’s List, and ended up reunited and married to the young man she had met.
Black like me
by John Howard Griffin

A white writer recounts his experiences in the American South following treatments that darkened his skin and shares his thoughts on the problems of prejudice and racial injustice
JMS 6/2020

Subscribe to Recommended Lists | Contact Us
NPL Facebook      NPL Twitter      NPL Video Gallery     NPL Teen Space     NPL Mobile APP